India building collapse kills 11 (PHOTOS)
Indian rescue personnel administer oxygen to an injured man (C) trapped in the debris of a collapsed residential building near Vadodara, some 110 kms from Ahmedabad, on August 28, 2013. Eleven residents were killed and another four injured and when the three-story residential building collapsed during pre-dawn hours.
A building collapse on Wednesday in the western Indian city of Vadodara killed at least 11 people.
More people are still feared trapped in the rubble of the three-story building, which housed about a dozen families in 14 apartments. Most were sleeping when it collapsed.
About 250 rescue workers are still searching for survivors and have pulled another four people from the debris who were badly injured.
A second building also collapsed in the residential complex of 33 housing blocks, but it had been evacuated minutes before and was empty when it fell.
What caused the buildings to collapse was not immediately clear, but police officials have speculated that unusually heavy rains during monsoon season could have damaged the structures' foundations.
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The Gujarat state government has ordered an investigation into the incident and will inspect the other 31 buildings in the complex for structural damage.
"We are now doing the necessary to secure all other residents and houses in the colony and doing in-depth checking," said a local official, speaking on condition of anonymity. "There will be a full inquiry. It is too early to say what caused this mishap."
Building collapses are common in India and are generally blamed on poor construction practices, like using substandard materials and not having proper supervision on building sites.
Earlier this year, 72 people died when a building collapsed in a suburb of Mumbai.
According to State Finance Minister Nitin Patel, families of those who died in Wednesday's collapse will receive a 200,000-rupee compensation ($3,046).